Garment-clasp.



No. 706,799. Patented Aug. 12, I902.

B. a. CLARK.

,GARMENT CLASP.

(Application filed. Jan. 2, 1902.)

( NolModeL) 7 .Bgrom UNTTnn STATES ATENT FFICE;

BYRON G. CLARK, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE CLARK MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF NEW" JERSEY.

GARMENT-'CLAS P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 706,799, dated August 12, 1902.

Application 'filed January 2,1902. Serial No. 87,995. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, BYRON G. CLARK, a citi' zen of the United States, and a resident of Brookline, county of Norfolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Garment-Clasps, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates more particularly to clasps for hose or other garments adapted to be attached to and supported by a strap of webbing or similar material; and the object of the invention is to provide simple, novel, and effective means for firmly securing the clasp to the webbing.

In the formof clasp herein chosen to illustrate my invention a portion of the webbing covers and constitutes the working faceof one of the jaws or clamping members of the clasp.

Figure 1 is a greatly-enlarged side elevation of a clasp with one embodiment of my invention applied thereto, the holding device for the webbing being shown in open or inoperative position. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the holding device for the Webbing in operative closed position, and Fig. 3 is a top or plan view of the clasp in the position shown in Fig. 1 with the webbing omitted.

my present invention in connection with a clasp forming the subject-matter of United States Patent No. 630,034., granted to me August 1, 1899; but my present invention is not thereby restricted to such'form of clasp. As in said patent the clasp comprises two cooperating members a and b, the former having two upturned ears 0 and transverse slots a at its rear end to receive the slightly-bent prongs b of the member Z), the members a and Z; being thus pivotally connected, so that their separable outer ends constitute clamping-jaws to engage the garment. The outer end of the member or plate a is upturned at a and an adjacent long transverse slot a (see dotted lines in the drawings) is made in the plate. The member I) is curved longitudinally and has an inturned lip b at its outer end, said member being longitudinally slot ted in' two parallel lines to leave the oppositely-curved intermediate bearing portion 1), and the plate a is shaped to present a central spring-tongue a Figs. 1 and 2, its free end a being upturned to normally act upon the convex face of the bearing portion Z) back of the ears a to normally open the jaws. A locking-lever (Z has lateral extensions (1 provided with pintles d, pivotally mounted in the ears a, the main part of the lever passing up through the opening in the member I), as shown in Fig. 3, said lever being bent rearwardly below the pintles to form a lug (P, which travels over the concave face of the bearing portion 1).

In Figs. 1 and 3 the jaws are shown open, and in Fig. 2 they are closed and maintained closed by the locking-lever, as in the patent referred to.

The inner end of the plate a is herein shown as reduced in width to leave transverse shoulders a and folded over upon itself at a on the upper face of the plate and bent to form a transverse tubular bearing a between the shoulders, which pivotally supports an el0n gated loop comprising parallel cross-bars c c and sides 0 the bar a entering the bearing a. The sides 0 are long enough to permit the outer bar 0 to be swung past but very near I the end a of the plate and slightly under the I have for convenience herein illustrated latter, so that when said loop is swung into the position shown in Fig. 2 it will be past dead-center, the sides a resting against the shoulders a the latter preventing the 100p from swinging down.

One end of a strap A or band of elastic webbing or other suitable fabric is inserted in the slot a, and thence the strap is carried up over and around the lip 66 and rearwardly along the under face of the plate (t and up through the swinging loop, as shown in Fig. 1, the loop then being open, after which the loop is swung down into closed position, Fig. 2, its outer bar 0 passing beyond the end a of the plate and past dead-center, pinching or cramping the webbing between the end a and the bar 0, thereby firmly holding the webbing in place, the shoulders acting as stops for the loop at such time.

When the jaws are closed, the main part at of the locking-lever extends above the webbing just over the bar of the loop and acts as an additional safeguard to prevent any accidental release or movement of the loop into open position to release the webbing.

The device for holding the free end of the' webbing is simple, but thoroughly effective, preventing any slipping of the webbing, and the longitudinal pull or strain on the latter when the clasp is in use has no tendency to open the loop.

It will be manifest that the holding device for the webbing is not restricted in its application to the particular form of clasp herein shown and described.

By means of my invention the webbing is securely clamped or held at the inner end of the clasp, so that the strain on said webbing in the direction of itslength is not transmitted to that portion extended along its under face and around its outer end.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A clasp comprising a plate having a transverse opening at one end to receive the end of the webbing, a transverse tubular bearing at the other end of the plate, a swinging loop mounted in said bearing, to receive the free end of the webbing,thelatter being firmly held and pinched between the loop and the adjacent end of the plate, means to engage and stop further movement of the loop when the webbing is pinched thereby, a movable jaw mounted on the plate independently of the said bearing, and means to operate and control the jaw.

2. A clasp comprising a plate having a transverse webbing-receiving slot at one end, a loop pivotally connected with the plate at its other end, and adapted to be swung beyond the under face of the plate when in operative position, to thereby firmly pinch and hold the webbing passed through the loop, between the latter and the adjacent end of the plate, means to stop the movement of the loop when in position to pinch the webbing, a movable jaw mounted on the plate, and means to operate and control said jaw.

3. In a garment-clasp, a plate having at one end a transverse slot, and at its other end reduced in Width to present lateral shoulders, and provided with a transverse tubular bearing between the shoulders, and a loop fulcrumed in said bearing, and adapted to be swung past dead-center close to the adjacent end of said plate, to pinch and firmly holda piece of Webbing when passed beneath the plate and through said loop, the sides of the loop at such time engaging the shoulders and being held thereby from further movement.

4. In a garment-clasp, a plate folded upon itself at one end, and bent to form a tubular, transverse bearing adjacent the folded end, and having a lateral shoulder at each end of said bearing, a movable jaw mounted on the plate independently of the bearing, a webbing-holding loop pivotally mounted in the bearing, and adapted to be swung past deadcenter beyond the under face of the plate, and closely adjacent the folded end thereof, to pinch and'hold a piece of webbing passed through the loop, said loop when pinching the webbing engaging and being held by the shoulders from movement beyond deadcenter.

5. In a garment-clasp, a plate having a supporting-strap of webbing attached at one end thereto, and passed longitudinally along the under face of the plate, swinging means mounted on the opposite end of the plate to clamp or pinch the webbing at such point, and prevent transmission of longitudinal strain to the webbing under the plate, a fixed bearing on the plate for said means,a clamping-jaw mounted on the plate independently of said bearing to cooperate with the said plate, and a device to stop the movement of the clamping means when the webbing is clamped thereby.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BYRON G. CLARK.

Witnesses:

WM. M. RHEEM, EVERETT E. KENT. 

